Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m so glad you’re here.
I’m the heart and hands behind Making Cents Matter, a site I started back in 2016 after a family road trip from Tennessee. At the time, I wanted a place to document the small but meaningful ways that our family of five was budgeting, saving, and paying off debt. Especially as life got messy and unpredictable.
I’ve always been a bit of a planner. I have both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree, and I’ve spent years in academic spaces learning how to solve problems. But nothing taught me more about financial health than real life. Raising three kids, navigating mental health challenges, and recovering from personal setbacks that flipped our budget — and our lives — upside down.
The motto here is simple: Make Every Cent Matter.
To me, that means giving every dollar a purpose and aligning spending with what matters most right now. And let’s be honest, priorities shift. Life happens. But how we spend our time and money will always reflect where our values lie.
Since starting this blog, life has taken some big turns. In 2019, my middle child was diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and is also 2e—autistic and gifted. Supporting my family became my full-time focus, and I stepped back from blogging for a while to make space for healing, therapy, and growth — for them, and for me.
By 2021, all three kids and I were in therapy, and it became clear: to help them, I needed to support my own mental health too. In early 2022, when trauma triggers overwhelmed me, I handed off our budget to my husband. But by late 2023, our finances were in chaos, and our divorce process had started.
Through all of this, I’ve learned that financial health is emotional health.
It’s shaped by everything you’ve experienced, believed, or been told about money — from childhood onward.
In 2024, I began working toward becoming a Certified Financial Health Counselor. I want to help others who feel like they’re drowning in life and money decisions. Not from a place of perfection, but from a place of truth, compassion, and rebuilding.
Whether you’re recovering from burnout, divorce, trauma, or just need a fresh start, Making Cents Matter is here to support you. I’ll give you the tools to make money work for your life — not for someone else’s idea of what success should look like.
Thank you for being here. I’m honored to be on this journey with you.
